1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to systems for recovering ionic silver from effluent, especially effluent from conventional photographic film developing, and pertains specifically to an effluent transfer apparatus for flushing residues from system plumbing.
2. Background Art
It is known that the development of conventional photographic film results in the production of fluids containing valuable quantities of the precious metal silver. A variety of known methods and systems are used to recover silver from such fluid by-products. Typically, photographic by-product solutions are processed through a special canister where silver ions in solution are exchanged for iron ions. Silver thus can be recovered subsequently from the canister device (such devices are known in the art). The resulting fluid discharge is depleted of silver, but rich in iron. The iron-rich solution ordinarily is composed of bleach fix and stabilizers, which are mixed with developer solution to neutralize solution pH. The solution commonly is stored in an effluent tank until it is disposed down a hose for discharge into a drain for disposal.
A problem is that the discharged effluent is prone to clog the drainage line, especially as residue accumulates on the walls of drain lines. This problem is particularly acute in modern, technically automated development systems; automatic development systems are increasingly efficient to use reduced quantities of water, resulting in heavier sludge-like effluents. Plus, many automated systems not only develop and print photographs; they also cut, within the machine, the photographic paper. As a result, small paper trimmings and offal find their way into the effluent stream, increasing its density and proclivity to cause drain clogs. Against this background, the present invention was developed.